Amy Merrill PhD ’04 has recently received an eight-year grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AMY MERRILL is driven by the desire to impact clinical care outcomes — especially for rare diseases. By studying rare diseases in the face and head, she can learn about the normal process of […]
A new paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows how an amino acid may hold the secrets of oral cancers. UPPER AERODIGESTIVE SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA is a common and aggressive malignancy — it attacks more than half a million people each year, leaving them battling fatal tumors in the […]
Ostrow researchers probe how vasculature impacts stem cell diversity. The new study could lead to better treatments for tissue regeneration. STEM CELLS DON’T exist alone. They are part of a community, and their local environment — neighboring cells, extracellular matrix, blood vessels and nerves — all provide instructions that tell the stem cells when to […]
A new NIDCR grant will give Assistant Professor Dechen Lin the opportunity to test diet and medication’s efficacy on head and neck cancer. AROUND THE WORLD, head and neck cancers are increasing in prevalence — mostly associated with a rise in disease associated with human papilloma virus. When a patient’s head or neck is damaged, […]
The distinction goes to inventors in higher education who could bring impact to the welfare of society. ASSOCIATE DEAN OF RESEARCH YANG CHAI PhD ’91, DDS ’96 has earned a prestigious accolade for his transformative research related to craniofacial development, tissue regeneration and birth defects. The National Academy of Inventors (NAI), a nonprofit member organization […]
A new grant will bring together multidisciplinary researchers to understand jaw joint degeneration and pain from the inside out. THE JAW JOINT IS A LITTLE LIKE THE KNEE: It has a disc in the middle and then two bony structures that articulate together to open and close the jaw. But, with all that talking and […]
A new Cell Stem Cell publication by Ostrow researcher Jianfu Chen shows how the lymphatic system and skull stem cells may help kids with a rare birth defect. CRANIOSYNOSTOSIS IS A BIRTH DEFECT in which the bones in a baby’s skull fuse too early — before the brain is fully formed. It happens in 1 […]
Amy Merrill-Brugger has been awarded a second grant to study bent bone syndrome — and help uncover some fundamental truths about joints in the skull. IF YOU’VE EVER HELD A BABY, you probably remember soft spots on their heads — space for the developing skulls to grow around the brain. When the system works correctly, […]
Chai joins a list of illustrious scientists in the award and hopes his research will impact patients’ lives. ASSOCIATE DEAN OF RESEARCH Yang Chai PhD ’91, DDS ’96 has been awarded the 2023 Paul Goldhaber Award by the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. The highest honor given by the school, the award goes to a […]
It’s part of a larger effort to replicate entire microenvironments — blood vessels, lymphatic tissue and nerve fibers — toward the ultimate goal of tissue regeneration. BY KATHARINE GAMMON IT’S WELL KNOWN THAT NERVES ARE VITAL for sensing the world, but researchers are now discovering how they also change the behavior of stem cells, which […]
